The present invention is directed to a medical perfusion system adapted to handle the selective oxygenation, filtering and recirculation of blood in connection with various medical procedures.
A conventional perfusion system may be used to oxygenate, filter, and/or recirculate the blood of a patient during a medical procedure. Such a perfusion system may have a fluid conduit that removes blood from the patient during the medical procedure, a separate fluid conduit that returns blood to the patient, one or more blood pumps that pump blood through the conduits, and a plurality of sensing devices, such as flow sensors and/or level sensors associated with blood pumps. The perfusion system may also include air embolus sensors, temperature sensors, flow occluders, etc.
Typically, a perfusion system is provided with a configuration specifically designed to be used for a particular purpose. For example, one perfusion system may be specifically designed as a full-function heart/lung machine, while another perfusion system may be specifically designed as a ventricular-assist system. Although it may be possible to convert a perfusion system designed for one purpose to a perfusion system usable for a different purpose, such reconfiguration is generally difficult and/or time-consuming.